I am a die hard JCW fan, or I would stop watching this. I am more a romance than a thriller fan. The story is interesting, the characters have depth. The gore is off putting, sometimes sudden and shocking, copious and messy, but believable in the context. Just not my cup of tea. If you like that sort of thing go ahead and enjoy. I found JCW's acting impeccable as always. He had a particularly poignant scene where he had to kiss a woman he doesn't love, and since he is a historically swoonworthy kisser, I was intrigued to watch this new perspective. He did a fantastic job of showing his reluctance yet going forward with the ruse with feigned enthusiasm. Its a fine line in acting, but he nailed it. So far the hardest thing to believe is the meteoric rise of the villain GiCheol from relatively innocent beginnings to Crime Lord Extraordinaire in such a short time. He would have to be a genius when it comes to understanding human behavior, yet his weakness is the woman he loves and he doesn't see her deceit. SMH blinded by love. It would be tragic if he was the hero.
This is the best episode I've seen from this series...
The screenwriters twisted the plot incredibly. Links to the past are in sharp contrast with what is happening now in the lives of the heroes. Chi Chan-wook's performance is simply unreal fantastic.